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Saturday, January 15, 2005
Wow... I haven't updated this in such a LONG time!
Now that it's a new year... I would like to make the same goal as I made last year. To read 50 books within a years time. I love to read and hopefully I can make it this time around. Last year I only got to 45.
Here's a list of the book I've read in 2004!
With a 1-4 raiting. 1 being best (of course) and 4 being AWESOME!
1. The House of Sand and Fog -3-
-I really felt for both Kathy and the Iranian family. It's such a heavy book. After reading it, lasting images of various scenes in the book wouldn't leave my mind.
2. Speaker for the Dead -3-
- Out of the whole Ender series, this one is my favorite. I especially liked the story of Ouanda and Miro.
3. Cold Mountain -1-
-I hated this book. I still regret reading it. But once I read something, I have to finish it. I still regret finishing it. @_@
4. Big Fish -3-
-It was short, funny and bittersweet. It had imagination and it makes you smile. I think the movie was slightly better though.
5. Belinda -1-
-I hated this book #2. One of the worst books Anne Rice has ever written. I think she wanted to do another "lolita" but nothing can beat that classic.
6. The Corrections -2-
-This whole thing was a great read. A family full of disfunctions. It was even featured in the Simpsons
7. Mystic River -3-
-Great book. Even the movie was great.
8. Coin Locker Babies -4-
-My first exposure to author, director, talk show host, ect... Extrodinaire: Ryu Murakami. This has become one of my FAVORITE books! I love it. Such a page turner. Read it for yourself.
9. The Woman in the Dunes -2-
-Depressing but I loved the atmosphere of this book. It's about love and loneliness and much more.
10. Snow Country -3-
-Another depressing book but it's just very beautiful. Most Yasunari Kawabata books are usually almost always about loneliness and sadness and depression but I like reading stuff like that. Something that pulls the heart strings.
11. Exquisite Corpse -4-
-The book that totally made me a fan of Poppy Z. Brite. Full of Boy Love, Canabilism, Sex, Blood, and everything else. Not for the someone with a weak stomach but wow. It was disturbing and intriguing.
12. Hogfather -1-
-I hated this book #3. Well I didn't hate it as much a Belinda and Cold Mountain. Hogfather is by Terry Pratchett after all. I like the creativity and the slightly synical story but for some reason it just bored me.
13. Ordinary People -2-
-Not bad. It made me think a lot about my own family. A death of a well liked brother that left the other brother to attempt suicide and the parents to think about their own relationship.
14. Almost Transparent Blue -3-
-Another great Ryu Murakami book. This one is basically plotless. Just sex, drugs, and rock n roll and about the 60's with Japanese younguns living near an American Military base. I'm in love with Murakami's writing style.
15. Jude the Obscure -4-
-One of the best books I've ever read. Written way before its time. Depressing and some of the scenes are still so vivid in my mind.
16. Lost Souls -3-
-Poppy Z. can surely write cool boy love stories. ^_^ I love Ghost and Steve and Zillah the little evil, slutty vamp. Hah!
17. The Wind Up Bird Chronicle -3-
-Written by that "Other" Murakami. The more well known Haruki. It's weird, it's expansive, it's long but man, is it a page turner.
18. A Clockwork Orange -4-
-Wow! What more can I say but that. Makes me want to talk like Alex.
19. A Town Like Alice -1-
-I hated this book #4. This book SUCKS. So full of cardboard cutouts. Characters that didn't come to life. I didn't like the racist undertones either. Although I guess that was expected back then.
20. Strangers -3-
-An awesome little "ghost story" that really didn't feel like a ghost story
21. Drawing Blood -2-
-Poppy Z's third book. Steve and Ghost makes a "slight" mention. It's not as great as Lost Souls and Exquisite Corpse but it still awesome.
22. A Widow for One Year -3-
-Funny + Expansive + Weird = Cool
23. The Color of Water -4-
-A true story. It made me cry. It made me laugh. It made me think.
24. In the Miso Soup -3-
-Ryu Murakami again! Like most of his stories, this story is weird, full of sadistic little numbers, sex, blood. The usual Murakami madness.
25. Survivor -4-
-I truly enjoyed this story. Creative, funny, truthful, amusing.
26. All Families are Psychotic -2-
-True to the title. So many coincidences so little time. It was amusing. The title is enough to make you read it.
27. The Cider House Rules -4-
-I LOVED this book. Homer, Melony, Angel, Dr. Larch. So many memorable characters that I just didn't want it to end.
28. So You Wanna Be A Rock n Roll Star -3-
-True Story. Gives you the real behind the scenes of what it's really like to be a musician. It really opens your eyes to how the music industry really works.
29. Rules of Attraction -4-
-l really enjoyed this book. It was funny and stupid at the same time only because the characters are so dispicable yet so true. I loved Paul the best. He seemed to be only one that's slightly normal and stable.
30. The Power Of One -3-
-I've been really in love with books about South Africa for some time now. This book was good. Do NOT watch the movie for it can't even compare. If you thought the movie was good however, read the book and you'll know how much better it is.
31. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter -1-
-I hated this book #5. I just didn't like it. It seemed cold. I don't know. To be a good book, it has to make me feel affected and this did nothing to me except to make me wish that I didn't waste my money on it.
32. Tandia -3-
-The sequel to The Power of One! Basically the story of Tandia. A "colored" who is half Indian and half Zulu. Peekay's story also continues. I like their little love story. That's why I was slightly mad about the movie. Peekay should only fall in love with Tandia and only Tandia. Hah!
33. Disgrace -3-
-J.M. Coetzee's book about a man and his daughter set after the end of apartheid in South Africa.
34. Girlfriend in a Coma -3-
-Hehe... I just had to read it because I liked that Smiths song of the same name. Great read though. And she really was in a Coma but he didn't try to murder her or anything.
35. Xenocide -3-
-The 3rd book of the Ender series. Mostly this is about Miro and the rest of his family. I liked Olhado in this story. Even the pyscho Peter. The Path/Chinese story line was also great.
36. Garden State -1-
-I hated this book #6. No, this isn't the movie. This is the worst and most boring book I've ever read about a bunch of slackers in my entire life. I want my money back damn it.
37. My Traitor's Heart -4-
-Another true story. An Afrikaner whose Malan family basically started the whole system of Apartheid. Published before the downfall of the apartheid system.
38. Sixty Nine -3-
-Ryu Murakami's sort of autobiography. A little like Almost Transparent Blue but actually more innocent because it's without most of the Murakami weirdness.
39. A Density of Souls -2-
-Ohh... written by Anne Rice's son. It's not that great but it's not that bad either. During the end I was totally into it. Another "boy love" story with a twist. Can I say with a V.C. Andrews' twist?
40. Great Apes -2-
-A totally original story I think. Makes me think of Kafka's Metamorphosis. An Ape that thinks he's human. Where Apes rule Earth and humans are thought of as dirty creatures in a zoo. So weird. The story was funny but for some reason I just wanted to finish it ASAP because the writing was just too... trite? I don't know how to describe it.
41. Out -3-
-A story of 4 ladies, a murdered abusive husband, debt collectors, a Brazilian, cut up bodies, and strange happenings that fall on Tokyo's working/lower middle class. Slow paced, page turner.
42. Six Feet of the Country -3-
-I need to get used to Nadine Gordimer's writing. Basically short stories that take place in South Africa during Apartheid. I liked "Country Lovers".
43. Angels and Demons -4-
-Oh my God! This book totally caught me off guard in the end. I totally did not see the whole twist in the end. You know about who the culprit is. The story really kept me reading.
44. Catfish and Mandala -4-
-A true story. A Vietnamese-American who travels to Vietnam on a bike and explore his home country. To see the people to look at his past and his family. A great eye opening read into another culture.
45. Lolita -3-
-Well, sort of disturbing but at the same time funny. It's written in such a cynical way that the disturbing aspects of it disappears from your thoughts. Love and obsession, depressing and amusing. Nothing can beat that.
-That's it. I only had five more to go. But oh well. I'm glad I only hated 6 books out of that 45. That's a pretty good turn out right there.
...shine Until Tomorrow @ 12:29 AM
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Tuesday, August 3, 2004
Ohh... Is it me or do I just write in here every month? Well actually, I missed the whole month of July didn't I? I should change the layout or something. But I still like it. I actually KNOW who's art it is in my journal now and that is Mika Sadahiro. Woot. She's cool.
Oh la. Right now, I'm in love with weird movies. I totally LOVE Y Tu Mama Tambien. If you read my other blog, I've raved about it a lot. It's a teen movie yes, but it's definitely not your typical American teen movie you know. I really loved the ending. There was just something sad about it although I know alot of people may interpret it in many different ways. I know my sister surely did. I guess it's based on what your persepective is on what the movie is really about. I also love this other Mexican movie that came out the same year Y Tu Mama did called Amores Perros. Simply translated to Life's a Bitch. WOW. Why can't American Movies be this good sometimes? The movie is basically about the lives of 3 different "couples" and how their lives are weaved together by one accident that happens in the beginning. I've never really liked foreign movies before yet I'm just intrigued by them now. It's really facinating to see. Amores Perros is sad, it's moving, it's never boring. I love the story of Ocatavio and Susannah the best. That one is so depressing. I guess I like depressing stuff. Maybe I should write about movies here huh? I love movies.
--Sorry if this has grammar or spelling errors. It's late and I need to go to sleep. zzzz
...shine Until Tomorrow @ 12:28 AM
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Tuesday, June 29, 2004
I have this thing about shows showing people getting stoned. Most of the time, especially That 70's Show they totally make it look like people get stupid after trying it. And it's weird because I'm pretty sure all of those guys have at least smoked some weed in the past and yet they over act it and you can tell how fake they really are. I hate That 70's Show, it's so UNFUNNY and that I gave up on it. I mean, people get stupid yeah, but NOT THAT STUPID. It's so fake it makes me gag. Then again, getting stoned isn't all what it's cracked up to be. They either glamorize it or make it something idiotic. I don't really know how to describe it. It's a useful way to have fun when you're bored out of your mind or just want an easy high but it's also a copout for a lot of people to escape. What am I rambling about? I just don't like how drugs are portrayed in that stupid show. It's so overacted. Add to the fact that none of them, especially Donna just annoys the hell out of me because she can't act and anything she does seems forced. Ashton Kutcher is annoying also. Ugh. I can't stand it anymore.
...shine Until Tomorrow @ 11:37 PM
[2 comments]
Thursday, June 10, 2004
I've become such a big fan of The Replacements. Like my favorite band, R.E.M. they were among the first to come out of the college radio crowd during early 80's and be these "punk" (if you call it that) icons. I love their songs and the lyrics, if you ever get a chance to check them out are the greatest. And they were all high school dropouts with an alcohol problem. Weird huh? They were from Minnesota. Which if you think about it seems like a little haven for putting out amazing muscians. Prince also came from there you know. Any way, "Here comes the Regular" is one of those really amazing songs. "Bastards of Young" is this cool anthem. I can so write a story about "here comes the regular." Maybe even use that as a title. I hope I can achieve that much considering that aside from various fanfics, I rarely finish my stories due to lack of inspiration.
And Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was an awesome movie. It's become my favorite out of all of them. The second totally turned me off. That was just horrible and not to mention boring. Although, this time the movie took liberties of the book, I totally loved it. It's more beautiful and the colors all have this washed out gothic look to it. Alfonso Couron always has this "green" theme among his movies if you have seen any of his other movies and it's also very present in HP, although not as much as his other movies. It's so pretty. And I love the whole "Ron and Hermoine" interaction there. It's so cute. They've become like totally close to each other and poor Harry, he's become almost like the third wheel. She kept calling him "Ronald" and they were all just being really close with each other. So cute. Ok, well... I guess I'm just looking at that through fangirl glasses but it's wonderful. And their relationship is even defined more so in the 4th and 5th book.
Ahhhh... I can't wait for the next movie. Too bad Remus wasn't what I pictured. David Thewliss did a pretty good job with that part though and Gary Oldman as Sirius. I didn't think he can pull off Sirius Black because of his age. Because come on! Remus and Sirius are supposed to be in their 30's not in their 40's or 50's. But Gary Oldman, as usual with his bad guy roles can totally play black. Arrr... But I still love Alan Rickman's Snape and Emma Thompson. Ahh... I can't believe I'm going on about HP. I should shut up now.
...shine Until Tomorrow @ 06:13 PM
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Wednesday, April 28, 2004
I'm sleepy and I hardly write in here anymore. I need this layout to be changed. It's been so long since I put this up. Maybe a Fruits Basket layout? I don't really like that particular story anymore. I think my interest in it has dimmed from two years ago. I used to be obsessed with it. Now it's just there. Although I still deeply enjoy reading the translations of it. I have all 14 volumes and the artbook, the character book, the pins, the address labels. It's horrible. It really seems that I am obsessed or something. But I guess it's just for collection purposes.
I saw this weird movie the other day called The Suicide Club or sometimes it's called The Suicide Circle. It's basically a satire on Japanese culture and how you should be yourself and not follow things right away without really thinking about the concequences. So from the title, it's a story that circles around suicide events. Is it really suicide or is it mass murder? In the very beginning of the movie there's a sceen where 50+ high school girls holding hands jump towards a subway train leaving the train windows and the passengers waiting bloody. It's very graphic and gory but I like the satire in it. You'll know what I mean. But although the culture references are different it gives us a very universal message. It's very funny too and scary. I really enjoyed it.
...shine Until Tomorrow @ 03:13 AM
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Friday, April 2, 2004
I don't really have much to say. My bandwidth is off the charts again even though I have no idea why. One of my hostees is probably uploading something I don't know. Anyways... I've been reading alot and reading watching movies. We were about to go see Passion of the Christ. We even bought the tickets. But since we were there to buy tickets at 5:30 and the movie started at 7:20 whe had about 2 hours of waiting time. So after an hour has passed by sister decides that she just wants to go home. So what do we do? We got our tickets refunded and then went home to pack supplies for the packages my mom is going to send to our relatives in the Philippines. We did eventually go to Best Buy though and bought movies. I finally bought Fast Times at Ridgemont High!!!! I LOVE that movie. Especially Sean Penn as Spicolli. Then from reading the LV community journal, one of the posts was talking about this cool Christian coffee lounge that was really close to my house... so we all decided to go there too. And that girl was right. The coffee they serve there is REALLY quite good.
I've also wanted to get that Weezer DVD full of all of their videos and stuff ever since it came out on the 23rd of March so I finally purchased it. It's cool!!! Especially if you are a Weezer fan. I think Rivers Cuomo is cool such a nerd but cool nonetheless. I wouldn't mind meeting him. I'd be like a total fangirl. But then again, since he looks so normal I would probably not notice him if he walked passed me added with my total obliviousness with other people. I am so anti social sometimes. Which is really fine with me. I am pretty anti-social but if you talk to me and get to know me I'm not. I'm weird. I can tell you that right now. And I am rambling right now so it doesn't make much sense but hell... this is my journal so I don't really care. Does anyone even read this? Is anyone out there? Oh well I don't care anymore.
Til next time!!! Weezer is awesome ^_^
P.S. I am not going to bother to even correct my spelling mistakes here because I'm plain too lazy and tired right now. So tough luck. I hope however it does make sense sort off.
...shine Until Tomorrow @ 11:46 PM
[2 comments]
Tuesday, March 23, 2004
I was going to put this up in my LJ but I guess I will put it here. It's sort of funny. In our group blog I mentioned to Amberlin how I thought Julian was sort of cute and interesting enough I got him as a result. I would rather have Rivers Cuomo though cause Rivers is always cool!!
...shine Until Tomorrow @ 11:27 PM
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